Pets
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
***BLUE GIRL 96*** Re: EPI
See your previous post. My dog has EPI so I can lead you through this is this turn out to be the dx. I suggest getting her tested asap to rule it out. If it is, search for a vet who is experienced in treating. In the beginning, especially, it can be tricky.
Once stable, all is great.
Once stable, all is great.
Re: ***BLUE GIRL 96*** Re: EPI
Yeah I was talking to my neighbor the other day (whose dad is a vet) about her and what the latest update was. He said to make an appointment with his dad because he has a lot of experience with EPI. Plus he is a one vet practice so I wouldn't be getting the run around like I have been.
They were going to do it last time she did blood work, but since she hadn't fasted they needed to wait til the next day. But since her normal blood work came back with an infection, they decided not to do it. I will probably give them a call to ask what the cost of this would be since lately they have been charging me for bloodwork only and not an appointment fee.
Do you give pancreatin at all? I actually found the website you linked in my original post on my own last night, and saw them talking about pancreatin. All of the photos seemed very similar to what is going on with my dog. I have to get them off of my phone but I should upload some pictures of her current condition.
This is her current condition. She's always been quite tiny. She was 6.2 pounds when she had her teeth cleaned. She's about 5 pounds now.
Max gets Panakare Plus (powered) enzymes on his food, warm water is added to activate the enzymes then it is left to incubate for 20 minutes (this prevents mouth sores). After the 20 minutes, I add a very smal amount of Tylan (Tylasin sp?) which helps prevent SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and once a week we give him a sub-q B-12 shot.
The enzymes are the biggest expense, but Max is 14 pounds it it takes him 3 months to go through a large bottle ($99). Enzyme Diane on that site sells it cheaper, but we haven't made the switch yet.
With any issue when trying to get things stable you follow the "only change one thing" rule.
With your girl being so little, it should not be terribly expensive to treat, but it is for life. They are never cured and can have set backs, but overall its not that bad. Hardest part is stopping all treats, especially while getting her stable.
I'm finding mixed reviews on what dosage to give the enzymes in. How much do you give with Max being 14 pounds? I am seeing 30 pounds and under to give 1/8 of a tsp twice a day, but that is a pretty broad range!
Where do you buy your enzymes? Is it only online? And what food do you feed?
The vet suggested royal canine hypoallergenic. But from what I've been reading, it's not really a food allergy issue, but an absorption one. The sites are suggesting grain free with 4% or less fiber and to get an easy to digest protein source like fish. I have about 1/4 of a bag left of her food right now, so I'd want to do a food switch now if I am going to need to so I don't have to buy a whole new bag of her current food just to do a gradual switch.
We get Max's enzymes from an online pharmacy. It is only available as an RX. Digestive enzymes sold over the counter won't do it. The most economical is Enzyme Diane, the vet's offic was the most expensive.
As for food, that took a little switching for us as well. What works for one does not always work for others. That being said Grain Free is best as EPI dogs can't tolerate grains. The important part of the food (after the GF) is the fat % AND fiber %. Fat shouldn't be over 12% (Max has to have lower) and Fiber should be over 4%. (I think that's right.) Max does well on California Natural GF Venison which is 11% fat and 4% fiber.
If the food she is on now has grains, it is okay to do a fast switch to GF (if she is EPI).